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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 6 Hansard (17 June) . . Page.. 1900 ..
MR SPEAKER
: Preamble, Ms MacDonald. Would you come to the question, please.MS MacDONALD
: It is also regularly at odds with the government policy and direction. Is that of concern?MR QUINLAN
: That certainly is. In fact, the president so mentioned just happens to have been a member of the Liberal Party and a candidate for this Assembly-and quite an affable chap. If you look at the Hansard when he appeared before the PAC's inquiry into rates, you read the little "Peter", "Brendan", "Brendan", "Peter"; very, very chatty introduction to the president's appearance before the committee.The Property Owners Association is a much larger organisation-91 members registered, it is claimed here. However, it's got a rule that you can't be a member unless you're on the committee. The Property Owners Association of the ACT has a membership of 91, Mr Speaker.
Ms MacDonald did ask, I think, in hearings, "Do you have meetings?"Maybe another alert member of the media might check up on those meetings and on the minutes and attendances. It has a registered committee of three; you can't be a member unless you're on the committee; but there are 91 members.
It does actually put in a financial statement, let me say. It has an income of just over $4,000. Accounting fees, of course, take up nearly $1,400 of that. It takes $1,400 of accounting to account for $4,000 in 13 line items. The profession of the president of the Property Owners Association-since I went to college with him-is accountant.
Mr Smyth
: Are you going to give him a chance to come to the bar and speak for himself?MR QUINLAN
: Absolutely; I certainly hope so. I did ring him years ago.Mr Smyth
: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: Mr Corbell raised a point of order this morning attacking me for attacking people who can't possibly come and defend themselves in this place. Will the Labor Party cast such doubt on what Mr Quinlan is saying as they cast doubt on me this morning?MR SPEAKER
: Mr Quinlan, this morning I drew attention to a matter. Mr Smyth rightly raises the issue. I think it is important that we don't go to the personalities involved in these sorts of thing. Keep in mind the personal situation of people who might have been involved in some sort of process which has come to the attention of the Assembly. In this case, though, there were submissions made to a committee of the Assembly. That is also something which is relevant when one is considering whether or not to comment on the contribution made to the debate here.MR QUINLAN
: I'll close, Mr Speaker, by saying that, quite clearly, at minimum, the Ratepayers Association is nothing but a sham. I would hope and trust that, beyond this day, we don't get further pronouncements from this so-called ratepayers association-membership, five; committee, three.
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